In Sickness and In Health HAITUS
by Janet Doe
Summary: Perhaps Kyuubi's old fashioned, but he doesn't think that only a spouse should be there for you at all times; friends, too. So when Naruto's illness goes unnoticed and untreated for a month, the fox is quite unhappy with Naruto's "important people".
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Naruto heaved violently into his toilet bowl, his hands clutching the slick slides of the porcelain bowl as he spilled the contents of his stomach into the clear water. When he'd finished he groaned and sat back on his legs, moving his hands to wipe off his soiled lips and then clutch his stomach as if that would help to stave off another episode. After a few minutes, when he felt his stomach was steady enough to shift, Naruto came slowly to his feet, having to lean against the countertop of his sink.

_**Kit, I think you should take it easy. **_A rumbling voice from deep inside Naruto spoke out, heard only by Naruto though it seemed to echo off of the walls.

"Erm—" Naruto groaned, "I'm fine, Kyuubi." He stepped forward and tumbled into the half closed door of the bathroom, crushing his nose against the wood. "Or, I'll be fine." He mumbled and stepped backwards.

Inside of Naruto, Kyuubi grumbled but said nothing further, knowing from past experience that it wouldn't do any good. Instead he settled down carefully, feeling as if a sudden movement from him could upset the Kit's stomach again, and despite popular belief, Kyuubi had no ill wishes towards his Kit. In fact—

"Oh god," Naruto groaned and then turned quickly to the sink and heaved a yellowed stomach acid into the reflective basin.

Over the past month Naruto had been vomiting up everything he ate and even things he hadn't eaten. He'd been running a high fever and could hardly keep his eyes open, he was so tired. He sweated like a pig in the night, even when he opened his windows, lay naked on his sheets, and turned on all of the two fans he owned. He knew he was sick, that much was obvious. After the first week he'd visited all of Konoha's finest doctors and they either turned him away immediately, or pronounced that there was nothing wrong with him. Even Grandma Tsunade had told him nothing was notably wrong with him, though she was curious as to why he'd suddenly wanted a quick health exam. And because he hadn't told her his reasons, she hadn't allowed him to go on missions for three days, convinced he was ill. Which was Naruto's main motivation for not telling anyone about his illness, though it was pretty obvious that he wasn't in perfect health.

_**You're not planning on going to training today, are you? **_Kyuubi rumbled in a tone that already knew the answer to his question.

Naruto said nothing nor thought anything in return as he cupped his hands under the now running water, sipping the liquid from his cupped palms he swished it around in his mouth slowly, feeling weak as he spit it into the sink. He made quick work of brushing his teeth, rinsing the sink of his sickness, and then meandering into the front room of his apartment.

_**You're being ridiculous, Kit. **_Kyuubi rumbled. _**You're going to keel over if you keep this up. Someone as sick as you shouldn't be training. Someone as sick as you shouldn't be doing anything except lying in bed.**_

"Kyuubi, shut up." Naruto mumbled as he pulled his black shirt over his head and blinked slowly. "Oh god, did it just get really hot in here?" He gasped as he pulled on his usual orange pants and slipped on his blue sandals.

Inside of Naruto, Kyuubi blinked curiously and hefted himself to his paws; he padded across the expanse of the room he was allowed until his nose was poking through the bars of his cage. He carefully thrust a paw out into the depths of Naruto and then drew it back as quickly as he could, pulling his searing paw to his tongue. Naruto was having one hell of a hot flash.

_**Kit, you're getting sicker**_**.**

"Am not." Naruto groaned and wiped sweat from his forehead, taking a deep breath as the heat went just as quickly as it had come. "See? I'm better all ready." He smiled and pulled his jacket on lazily, only barely remembering to tie his head-band around his forehead as he headed out the door.

Kyuubi growled as he settled back down, scooting away from the bars of the cage. He wished there was something more he could do to help the blonde. For the past fourteen years, Kyuubi had been with Naruto; at times he was the only one there for Naruto. Times like now, for instance. It was not hard at all to see Naruto was sick, and yet, even though it had been a month, none of his teammates or fellow villagers, even his sensei, no one had noticed or said anything. No one had tried to help, or even cared enough to make a passing comment of concern. These were the times in which Kyuubi loved and hated Naruto the most.

And he did love Naruto. He'd accepted that years ago. Everything about the boy was pure and innocent and the opposite of Kyuubi. Opposites attract, right? But what he both loved and hated about Naruto (as previously stated) was the way the boy was able to love people who were cruel to him, the way the boy was able to take the bad things and shove them aside while keeping his faith, but he hated the way the boy was completely okay with being an after-thought. He hated that Naruto was fine with being brushed aside and unthought-of. He hated that Naruto stayed by the sides of people who were never they for him.

"Hey, Sakura!" Naruto chirped, his forced cheerfulness echoing in Kyuubi's ears.

The cotton candy haired girl said nothing as she stared at Naruto with a careful eye. "Where were you? Usually you're the first person here." She bit off and Kyuubi and Naruto quickly gathered that the girl had had another unfortunate run-in with Sasuke. "I was beginning to think that we'd have to come drag you from your bed, knowing the lazy, immature loser you are, I wouldn't have been surprised."

Kyuubi watched as Naruto's memories of this morning flooded across his mind along with a quick flash of resentment towards the girl. And then a rush of guilt at such a feeling. The fox rolled his eyes and was tempted to let loose a flood of unkind words at the pinkette, but since only Naruto would hear him, it would do much more bad then good.

"I'm sorry, Sakura." He said and forced a sheepish smile. "I had a bit of trouble this morning." He confessed but didn't push his problems on the girl like he should have.

Sakura rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "Yeah, I'm sure you had _loads _of trouble. I mean, rolling out of bed at whatever time you please, eating whatever you want, and having the whole bathroom to yourself? Yeah, I'm sure that was just so _difficult _for you." She scoffed. "_I _had to get up at a horribly early time, make breakfast for my whole family, and then fight with the whole family just so I could take a shower."

_**Which means she slept in late, ate food her mother slaved over without saying thanks, and then hogged the bathroom. **_Kyuubi translated for Naruto dispassionately.

_Kyuubi, I don't feel so good… _Naruto thought to his companion as he apologized to Sakura and then moved clumsily to sit against a tree, trying not to breathe to loudly while he clutched his side in pain. _It really hurts._ He thought and Kyuubi was positive that to an on-looker, Naruto looked just like he always did, if not a little tired.

_**Just take it easy, Kit. **_Kyuubi said slowly. _**You're going to kill yourself if you keep using all this energy. **_

"Dobe." A flat, uncaring voice greeted and Naruto looked up and managed a glare that didn't even harbor half of the malice it usually did… at a minimum. "Dobe?" The greeting turned to a question.

"Tch, Teme." Naruto gasped out and Kyuubi felt Naruto's mask slipping away. Once more he padded over to the bars and reached his palm out so he could feel exactly what Naruto was feeling. The fox groaned and pulled back; his poor Kit… in so much pain.

"Stop being so weird, Dobe." Sasuke said flatly just as Kakashi arrived, late as usual.

Kyuubi listened to what was going on and ground his teeth together in anger. Did no one see how much pain Naruto was is? The way he was clutching his side and squeezing his eyes shut? How could they miss the beads of sweat that dotted his pale face? Why were they all so ready to take everything he offered and give him nothing in return? Kyuubi growled.

"Naruto, will you stop fooling around. I know you can do better than that." Kakashi said flatly, without looking up from his book.

"Sorry, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto panted and blinked tears of frustration from his eyes. This was his usual training routine; he shouldn't feel like he was dying.

Kyuubi could feel the Kit's body weakening around him. He could feel his immune system crashing and his chakra falling to bits. His stamina was dissipating and his self-control and careful mask was being torn to shreds. The fox blinked slowly as he thought quickly. If the boy was reduced to nothing but a sack of useless blood cells, there would be nothing to hold the Kyuubi back from escaping from his host. Right? The fourth Hokage's seal was powerful, but when it came right down to it, it was Naruto's chakra and will that held it in place most of the time, even if it was only subconsciously.

_Kyuubi, what was that? _Naruto thought sluggishly, as though even thinking took a toll on his energy. _Is that… is that really true? _

_**I think so, Kit. But don't worry, I promise I won't go running around destroying villages. You have my word. **_He promised without second thought, he already knew that if he was let out the first thing he'd do would be to take care of his Kit.

Kyuubi felt Naruto nod. _That's good, Kyuubi. Because I really don't think I'm going to last much longer… _

As he thought this, the blonde came to his knees in the grassy clearing his team had gathered in, where they were supposed to be listening to their lineup of missions. Naruto clutched as his stomach as he heaved foreword, an awful retching noise tearing from his throat as he puked up a glistening steam of blood. He heaved again, and again, and his teammates and teacher watched in stunned silence.

"Naruto. Is this some kind of joke?" Sakura asked as Naruto clamped his hands over his mouth to keep from retching a fifth times. It did nothing to help.

"Yeah…" Naruto gasped out between an empty retch. "Just… just a joke. It's just a joke." He said as the retches stopped and his eyelids slid half shut as he sank to his bottom, wrapping his arms around his shoulders as he waiting for the violent tremors that were sure to begin soon.

"We should get him to a hospital." Sasuke stated needlessly as he watched the blonde boy's lips slowly turn blue. "Naruto, are you cold?" He demanded as he got to his knees besides his friends who he'd claimed to care for and touched his hand to the boy's forehead. "He can't have just gotten sick. How long has this been going on for?"

Naruto opened his mouth to brush off their concern, but his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell like a sack of potatoes to the ground, his head making a crude cracking noise against the hard soil. When his eyelids were next peeled open, it was to reveal animalistic red eyes.

"A little more than a month." A nightmare-ish voice ground out from behind Naruto's lips. "And not one of you bastards cared enough to notice. Are you happy now? I swear to Kami, if my Kit dies I'm going to rip out your throats and feed them to you."

Kakashi's one single grey eyes flashed carefully as none other than the Kyuubi addressed him. "We would have noticed." He said flatly.

"Oh, really? So you've simply been letting Naruto suffer all this time?" Kyuubi snapped. "No. Not a damn one of you people, the people who matter to him, cared about him enough to notice. Do you know what his morning routine has consisted of lately? He wakes up, pukes his guts out, runs out here only to get an earful from that pink haired bitch, and then has to waste energy on the two of you, just to keep up appearances," Kyuubi's eyes glared at the trio of stony faced ninja, "and then he has to shovel ramen into his throat, puke that up, and then he goes home, goes to bed wear he nearly sweats to death and then wakes up to do it all over again. Not to mention all the stupid things he does to make your lives more comfortable in between." Kyuubi sniffed angrily. "And they call me a monster."

"It's not our fault. Why didn't he tell us?" Sakura snapped, angry at being singled out.

Naruto's body snapped up and his hand made harsh contact with Sakura's cheek. "He didn't want to worry you." The Kyuubi spat out. "But not to worry, Kit's not going to be so neglected for long. If he gets any worse, and he's going to, I'll be let out. And then I'll be there to care for him. And I'll be there to make your lives a living hell."

Kakashi's eye snapped open. "You'll be let out?"

"Yes, I will. But I promised my Kit I wouldn't wreak any havoc, and I'll keep my word." Kyuubi said slowly and blinked. "But you had better get him to a hospital, because when I'm let out, it's going to hurt like a bitch."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The connection Kyuubi and Naruto shared was difficult to explain, the way it felt as well as the way it worked. When Kyuubi was inside of Naruto, hidden deep in the small corner he was provided with, it was like they were two separate beings. But at anytime he pleased, Kyuubi could simply stick any one of his appendages through the cage bars and have an intimate peak at exactly what his Host was feeling. This was how he had come to love Naruto, from the small looks into the depths of the boy's thoughts. He supposed some people might see that as an invasion of privacy, but how about we stick them in the belly of a young boy for a number of years and see if they don't become desperate for any sort of entertainment?

The way it worked was pretty vague, even to the main components involved, over the years both Naruto as well as Kyuubi had been shocked or surprised by some hidden ailment or plus to their unique situation. The gist was this: a seal put in place by the Forth Hokage kept Kyuubi inside of Naruto. But, of course, it eventually got a little more complicated than that. The first complication was the mental connection between Kyuubi and Naruto; the fact that they could speak to one another freely. The second surprise was Kyuubi's ability to 'feel' Naruto. The third was Kyuubi's chakra leak into Naruto's own, and neither were complaining about that. And now, apparently, Naruto's illness was about to unleash the Demon Lord… possibly for good.

_Kyuubi…_ Naruto thought in a small voice, the first time anyone had heard from his in hours. _Kyuubi, are you up there?_

"What is it, Kit? I'm busy." The fox said in a flat voice, a voice much more _boyish _than usual.

_Kyuubi, you didn't. _Naruto groaned and tried to force himself into consciousness, only to run into a mental wall and have his mind pushed back. _Gimme back control of my body_. Naruto whined and Kyuubi could feel the boy pacing around in the small cage.

"Will you shut up, boy, the grown-ups are speaking." Kyuubi snapped from the outside.

"Um…" Sakura made a small noise as she watched Naruto (who she'd been told actually wasn't Naruto…) "what's going on, Kakashi?"

Ignoring the girl's inquiry, the buxom Tsunade sagged into her chair. "Kyuubi, is Naruto conscious?"

Kyuubi nodded, making Naruto's blonde locks bob against his face. "The boy ought to cut his hair," he said aloud as he brushed an unruly lock behind his ear. "It makes you look like a shaggy, mangy dog." He said to the boy inside of him before he turned to meet Tsunade's concerned eyes. "And yes, he's awake."

His answer was met with silence and he didn't push the matter as he pulled Naruto's long, skinny legs underneath him and curled up on the couch, finding himself growing tired of the human's charades. He had explained calmly his history with Naruto; he'd been conversing civilly with the boy since before the boy had the ability to converse, meaning Naruto had always known he was there. Both Tsunade and Kakashi looked more than a little horrified at that. And Kyuubi continued to explain how they'd come to discoverer the rest of their abilities and disabilities when it came to one another. And finally he told how he would most definitely be let out of the boy, only to take care of him and give his 'important people' a piece of his mind.

"Back in the clearing," the dark-haired boy Kyuubi knew to be called Sasuke began, "Back in the clearing you said that when you were… let out," he raised his eyes as if inquiring if this was the proper term for it, "that it would hurt Naruto."

Kyuubi turned to the boy; of all Naruto's friends, the Uchiha both pissed Kyuubi off the most, and managed to remain his favorite at the same time. He cocked a blonde eyebrow in the raven haired boy's direction.

"Yeah, I remember saying that." He said and shed the hideous orange jacket he wore, finding himself suddenly hot.

"Well… is there any way we could make that hurt less? I… I confess that I didn't notice Naruto was sick…" he looked down guiltily, "but he's still… still one of the most important people in my life, and if I can stop his hurting; I will."

Blonde eyebrows scrunched together and Kyuubi watched as his vision blurred. "That's very sweet," he said slowly, his gravelly voice hitting a high pitch, "but there's not really anything we can do." He looked slowly around the room, feeling sweat rolling down his forehead as he tried to locate a trash bin. "Oh my god…" he mumbled and then made a dash to the nearest window, threw it open, and spilled the contents of Kit's stomach out onto the street below.

"Did the Kyuubi say how long Naruto's been sick for?" Tsunade asked gravely as she watched Naruto's body heave violently, nearly propelled out the window by the motion.

Kakashi nodded slowly, his eyes wide. "He said a month."

Tsunade brought a hand to her forehead and sighed, "Could you give us the specifics of Naruto's illness?" Tsunade asked slowly of the fox, who was currently unable to reply.

"He said that Naruto has night-sweats, vomiting… severe vomiting. From the way he's been acting I'd also say; dizzy spells, exhaustion, and he was puking up blood about an hour ago." Sasuke supplied. "But Naruto wouldn't admit to being sick, because it might've worried us…"

"Well, yes, but apparently the Kyuubi is affected by the illness when it's in control, and I'm sure it'll have no problem relaying all of its aches and pains." Kakashi announced.

'_It'?_ Naruto's voice echoed through Kyuubi's head. _Why's he called you 'It'?_

"Don't worry about it, Kit. To them I'm a monster." Kyuubi said softly as he wiped off Naruto's lips. "Tsunade, the boy's also got a killer pain in his…" he paused. "Left side. It feels like a knife, and he sometimes passes out…" He groaned and then flopped back onto the couch. "I can't take much more of this…" he mumbled as his red eyes drifted shut.

Sasuke watched as his best friend's body shuddered as the two entities traded places, and then his breathing evened out into a shuddered, wheezing gasp. He moved forward and felt the blonde's forehead with the back of his hand, god, he felt so terrible about not noticing. He sighed and then scooped the skinny boy up and headed out the door, with all the other people that had failed Naruto on his heels.

**

_Kyuubi, I don't think I wanna wake up… _Naruto said slowly as he grasped the bars from the outside of the cage. _It hurts out there…_

_**Kit. **_Kyuubi rumbled as he approached the bars. _**It's going to get bad enough that it'll hurt in here, too. But I won't make you wake up; I'd be lying if I said I didn't want you here**_.

Naruto smiled at the large fox and then sank to his knees in front of the cage, lacing his arms through the bars and holding his hands together. _It's been awhile since we've talked… face to face. Kyuubi, is that what you've always looked like? _Naruto inquired curiously, having a vague memory of a tan skinned man with thick locks of red hair.

_**No. I don't remember when I became this way… it was a long time ago. **_He said thoughtfully and watched the blonde from the corner of his eye. _**I think I'm going to change into my human shell before I'm released. It'll be easier to care for you then.**_

_Thank you, Kyuubi. _Naruto thought sweetly, his mind brushing gently against Kyuubi's.

**

"He seems fine." The elderly man in a white jacket insisted. "We've run all of these tests twice already, Lady Hokage. If you want me to run another battery, I suppose we have no choice. But I must advice against—"

"Do it." Tsunade ordered. "There is something wrong with this boy, I tell you."

The man narrowed his eyes at her and then turned and paced away, grumbling under his breath in between his barking orders that sent the hospital staff scurrying.

"Lady Hokage, is he going to be alright?" Sakura inquired gently of the blonde boy who lay straight as a stick, his chest rising and falling and forcing out painful noises. "He doesn't seem so good." She whispered and her fingers skimmed along the edge of his sticky-with-sweat brow.

"Did you gather that before or after he began vomiting blood everywhere?" Sasuke snapped from the open window, where he was sitting and watching Naruto carefully. "Of course he'll be okay," Sasuke said after a quick moment, "Dobe always pulls through." He said firmly.

Tsunade turned to look at the Uchiha and wondered if the boy could stand to lose another person. Especially now that the person he might lose was the only person who had reciprocated Sasuke's affections and still hadn't put up with his Uchiha ways. Tsunade's eyebrows closed together, though Sasuke tried to hide the fact, he truly did love Naruto. Be it like a brother, a close friend, or something more, it wasn't Tsunade's business, but none-the-less…

"You don't know that, Sasuke." Sakura said suddenly, her hands in her hair. "Naruto's not superman, this might just be it for him. I mean… think of all the odds he's beaten… maybe this one is the one that'll—"

"Haruno, it is not below me to strike a woman." Sasuke warned with a flash in his onyx eyes.

**

_Can't you hear them bickering? _Naruto sighed to Kyuubi, who was stretched out in front of the boy, enjoying the feel of the human's hands in his fur. _Who would want to wake up to that? Don't they know I can hear them? _

_**Kit, I'm sure it's just that they're stressed. You know they're all very worried about you.**_

Naruto narrowed his eyes, _Yeah, I know. And whose fault would that be, Kyuubi? You shouldn't have done that. I could've just passed it off as some bad ramen and been fine. I've been getting better these past few days, anyway. _

Kyuubi's fur bristled under Naruto's touch and the blonde drew back a fraction of an inch. _**Boy, you have been getting worse these past couple of days. I don't know what wrong with you, but there is something wrong. **_

**

"The tests are negative. All of them." The same elderly doctor from before informed Tsunade with a sniff, his thin arms folded over his unimpressive chest. "Again." He added in a I-told-you-so tone.

Tsunade turned and looked at him and briefly toyed with the idea of hitting him, that is, until Sakura beat her to it. The young girl hurled a small metal pan in the doctor's direction with the force of a tornado. Her eyes gleamed as she opened her mouth and let loose a torrent of very un-ladylike words and phrases.

"And another thing!" Sakura boomed. "How dare you mock Lady Hokage, if she says there is something wrong with a patient, who are you to doubt that? Are you forgetting her _years and years _of experience or maybe her _incredibly in-depth and rigorous _training?! And besides, have you even seen your patient?! Take one look at this boy and tell me he's not sick!!" She managed this all in a single breath and by the time she had finished her face was red and her eyes were moist. "And then fix him." She breathed and turned back to Naruto, her hand reaching out to grasp his own.

**

_**Oh, the bitch does care. **_Kyuubi snapped and gnashed his teeth together. _**Anyway, Kit, don't you think you should be getting back now? From the sounds of everything, more than one person is about to develop a hernia inspired by you.**_

Naruto looked up from where he lay on the floor. _I feel terrible, Kyuubi_. He breathed and then sighed. _I'm going to go tell them all goodbye, just in case. _Naruto stood up slowly. _Oh, and Kyuubi? When you are released… if I do die, will you please take care of Konoha? I always wanted to but if things don't turn out…_

_**Shut up, Kit.**_ Kyuubi said and Naruto gave him a winning smile before walking through an unnoticeable door.

**

When Naruto woke up, there was a quick, loud rejoicing. And then there were questions from the doctors and from his teammates, and from the Hokage and his friends. There were accusations and people shoving flowers in his face, with balloons and every animal in the jungle, stuffed and complete with a bow. He took it in careful strides, though, and managed to hold down his vomit, that is, until TenTen shoved a box of chocolates under his nose and declared they would cure anything.

"Oh." Hinata said as she patted Naruto's back in a motherly fashion and wrinkled her nose.

"You really are sick." Kiba commented in disgust as he checked his shoes and held Akumaru away from the puddle of sick.

Naruto gave his friend a dirty look and curled up into a ball on his side. "I think you guys should leave. I'm not feeling so well." He admitted briefly. "And I don't know if it's been explained to you yet… but once I get sick enough, Kyuubi's going to be released. And that'll probably be within the hour, so you might want to… leave… now."

It went quiet for a moment and Naruto sighed, rolling over on his other side so that he didn't have to watch them staring at him. He heard the whispery voice of Sasuke and Sakura, ushering the group out the door and telling them to go to Kakashi, that he would explain. She told them that they shouldn't spread this around the village; it could mean bad things for Naruto. And then it went quiet again, save for the gently closing of the door, and the caught breathing for Sasuke and Tsunade.

"Hn, Dobe." Sasuke said flatly and Naruto felt the weight of his friend weighing down on the corner of the bed. "What the hell were you thinking?" He finally asked his voice still low.

Naruto shrugged, which was quite the feat in his present position, "I didn't want to worry you guys, I mean, you have enough to worry about; what will finding your brother and all that. And Sakura has her whole family to run after, and Kakashi already had enough responsibilities. So I just figured… I guess I just figured that I'd get better."

Sasuke gave another grunt. "Did you even see a doctor, Dobe? How did you expect to just get better?" He snapped.

Naruto turned his shoulders so he could crane his neck to glare at Sasuke. "Of course I went to the doctors! I saw all of them who'd see me, and even some who wouldn't. I even tricked Grandma Tsunade into giving me an exam. None of them saw anything wrong with me." He grumbled and rolled back over, his face hidden in his hospital-issued pillow. "I'm not dumb, Teme." He mumbled into the pillow, drawing the blankets around his shoulders.

Sasuke snorted. "Not dumb? If you weren't dumb, you would've come to me with your problems."

Naruto said nothing; instead he let out a painful groan and clutched at his stomach, cursing the pain under his breath. His side felt like he was being branded, the searing pain radiated outward and he groaned again. After a few moments, when the pain had usually gone away, it was still there, strong and forceful. Naruto bit down on his lip in effort to remain quiet and Sasuke watched as his best friend suffered in silence. He was a little surprised at how much it bothered him, after all, he supposed the Dobe had been suffered in silence his whole life. Why should now be anymore awful to watch?

**

Hours later, Naruto had finally drifted off into a drug-induced sleep. Tsunade had called for pain-killers after the first half hour of pain, unable to watch Naruto writhe any longer. It was well into the night hours, by now, since Naruto's illness had become known in the late afternoon, and they'd spent a long amount of time berating themselves in her office, and then there was the time in which Naruto slept. All in all, the events of that day had moved rather quickly. Tsunade was glad things had finally settled down.

Naruto lay sleeping; sweating, groaning, and still clutching at his sides, but at least it wasn't the chocked back screaming he'd been unable to contain early. Sasuke was asleep at his side, his dark hair stark against the sterile white of the hospital sheets, the Uchiha's hand gripped the bed sheets tightly and he mumbled in his sleep. Sakura had gone home hours ago, just after she'd pushed the other Hidden Leaf Village Nin. from the room. Kakashi, Tsunade knew, was in the company of Iruka and Jirriya, the three were searching for a way to cure Naruto as well as keep the Kyuubi locked inside of him. Tsunade personally couldn't care less about the latter expedition; she though the demon lord seemed nice enough, and he'd obviously cared for Naruto. That made him a fine character in her book.

Glancing up from her sheet of papers she yelped in surprise when she found Naruto's eyes wide open and the pupils small as needle points. She moved over to his side and pushed Sasuke, who was only now rousing from his slumber, out of her way as she performed a series of hand-seals and focused her chakra at Naruto, whose chest was contracting visibly. She watched in terror as the blonde boy (who'd she had grown to care for) clawed at his bed sheets in silent, unbearable pain.

"What the hell?" The Uchiha gasped out as he stumbled backwards, his eyes locked on Naruto. "Is it… is it the Kyuubi?" He asked breathlessly as Naruto began to tear at his own skin.

Tsunade didn't bother to reply, she simply pressed the Call Button for a team of nurses and tackled Naruto to the sheets, trying to keep him from tearing his own skin to badly before they arrived with proper restraints. Sasuke watched as his best friend screamed loudly and bit at his lips, trying to find an outlet for the pain he was feeling. When the team of nurses had filled in, Tsunade had already received a long, thin scratch just above her eye, and two angry red hand-prints on her forearms. She stepped back and watched as Naruto's eyes pleaded with the heavens to simply make it stop.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Wow, I just want to thank you guys for all the positive feedback I received in just a few hours. I really appreciate it and so I'll try to keep this story rolling, it's a little lighter to write than my 'Anemone' fanfiction, so I enjoy it more.

Chapter Three

Naruto's pain had taken on an appearance, at least to Kyuubi. The fox lay there on the cold floor, his eyes squeezed shut tight and his ears flattened against his head in vain effort to keep his Kit's screams from his consciousness. It had begun what felt like years ago, and simply never stopped. The blonde's pain was radiating even into Kyuubi's little corner, where it brushed against the demon lord's fur and caressed his mind, making him snap his jaws in pain and frustration.

He groaned when a new wave washed through the bars of the cage, crashing against him almost audibly. He allowed himself a grunt and then pushed the pain away along with Naruto's refreshed shouts. Kyuubi couldn't help but feel it was all his fault, he knew that it was only because the seal was being forcibly torn from the boy that he was experiencing so much pain, and Kyuubi felt that it was too high a price to ask for his freedom. He wondered vaguely if Naruto would hate him, when he was released, if his Kit might look into his eyes and then look away, Kyuubi wasn't sure if he could bare that.

Not only that, but it was killing him not knowing if this pain would go on, even after he was released. He hadn't experienced Naruto's discomforting illness for long, but those few hours were enough to open his eyes to the fact that Naruto had managed to hide the bulk of it, even from Kyuubi. This made the fox wonder exactly what sort of ailment was killing his Kit. Because, all in all, if this kept up, Naruto would die. A sickness that was more on the inside then on the outside, which was saying something considering the outside symptoms include turning your stomach inside out and making you sweat like a raincloud while you sleep. The fox growled and his fur bristled as he once again closed his eyes, reviewing all the illnesses he'd even encountered patiently. Well, as patiently as he could be expected to.

**

Iruka leaned heavily against the door, he wasn't sure if anyone else had managed to keep count, but this was Day Three of Naruto's suffering. He was beginning to wonder if a Mercy Killing might not be called for, and it wasn't sarcastic. Listening to the young Ninja scream and then watching him try to tear at himself, well, it was terrible to say the least. Especially when Iruka secretly imagined himself to be the boy's father figure.

_Some father… didn't even notice he was sick._ Iruka thought pityingly. _And now look at him… _his mind whispered as he peered through the thin glass window, behind which Naruto was only barely held by chakra enforced straps and everything else they could find to keep the boy from injuring himself. _This is all my fault._

"Iruka, Kakashi." Someone breathed in a sigh of relief. Iruka was tugged away from his thoughts as he looked up at Tsunade, her hair was a mess, unbound from her usual ponytail and her make-up was rubbed under and over her eyes; she looked like hell. "Oh, thank god, please tell me you found out what's wrong with Naruto?"

Kakashi stepped forward and Iruka silently thanked the grey haired man, he wasn't especially fond of Naruto's teacher, mainly because he knew the man liked both Sakura and Sasuke over the blonde, but also because Kakashi spent near as much time with Naruto as anyone else, he was supposed to be watching the boy with a careful eye, and yet the man didn't even have a way to fix Naruto. But despite that, Iruka was in no shape to speak with anyone, so it was better if Kakashi handled it.

"There is no way to prevent the Kyuubi from being released." He stated simply. "We shouldn't even bother trying, not when it's already begun." He said and his one visible eye flickered over to the closed door, behind it Naruto was arching off the bed in pain. "And… we have no idea what is causing Naruto to be sick."

Iruka took a deep, shuddering breath. "So, essentially," he said, his voice uneven and low. "We have no idea what's wrong with him. But, and this is just a guess, I'd say if we don't find out soon, he'll die." The tanned man brought his hand to his eyes, rubbing his fingers along his nose in effort to ease the discomfort in his mind. His eyes snapped wide open when another of Naruto's screams tore through the air. "God dammit!" He yelled his voice deep and ringing. "How long is this going to go on for? Get that damn fox out of him!" He cried and then burst into the hospital room.

**

Sasuke was doing his best to soothe Naruto, he only kept it up because, every so often, Naruto's pain would stop long enough for his bright blue eyes to flicker over to Sasuke, whisper a thanks, and then roll back into his head as the pain gripped hold of him again. Sasuke stroked Naruto's spasm-ing hand and shared with him the few tender memoires Sasuke had. When he ran out of those, he began to tell about the first time he'd seen Naruto, the first time he'd _really _seen Naruto; the real Naruto. And the blonde seemed to be grateful for this.

Sasuke wasn't sure how long this had been going on for, but he hadn't slept in an even longer time, and Naruto's pain just kept getting worse and worse. After a particularly violent spell, or rather, during a particularly violent spell, Iruka burst through the door. His reflexes slowed by worry and distraught, Sasuke turned to eye the man and barely had time to take in his rumbled clothing and pale face before the man was at Naruto's side, performing a series of seals that looked vaguely familiar to Sasuke and lit off a red light in his head.

"Iruka, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Tsunade's voice boomed as she (and her huge boobs) tried to squeeze in through the door with Kakashi at once. Her panic danced in her eyes when she recognized the seals Iruka was carefully displaying. "_Iruka! _You'll kill him you do that!" She screamed. "Why do you think we haven't just ripped the damn thing out ourselves?" She cried as she was finally propelled forward by a push from Kakashi.

Iruka didn't even slow his motions; it was obvious to any bystander that Iruka was a desperate man who believed that desperate times called for desperate measures. With a last flick of his fingers, Iruka focused his chakra on the seal he knew to be located on Naruto's stomach, and let it go. Iruka's power barreled into the boy's abdomen with uncontrolled force and Naruto's screams turned silent as he fell back to the bed, his eyes wide in pain, he coughed hackingly and pedals of red fell from his lips.

"Was that… was that the jutsu used to break seals?" Sasuke whispered. "Do you not… are you…" he gaped at Iruka and then simply stopped trying. Seeing no other choice of action, Sasuke raised his arm, curled his hand into a first, and with much more strength then he thought he had, punched Iruka in the stomach, knowing it wasn't even half the pain Naruto was going through. "You fucking bastard."

**

"Oh, my god." Kyuubi breathed out, his voice noticeably smoother since he'd taken his human form. It had been a long three days, feeling only brief spells of Naruto's agony and the pull of the seal calling him out every so often. But this pain… whatever had just been unleashed inside of the cage with him, it topped it all. "Oh, my god." He breathed again and curled in on himself, forgetting that he was a demon lord, forgetting that he had someone to protect, he lay there and tried to focus on not crying out.

**

"What now?" Kakashi asked uncertainly, trying his best to avoid Sasuke's eyes.

Tsunade held her face in her hands, "Now we wait. We wait and see if Naruto lives, or if he dies. We'll have to take him… I think we're going to have to take him off of the pain medication, we're going to have to isolate him." She shuddered. "There are no recorded cases of something like this; the brat is more than probably going to die. I… The human body isn't meant for this sort of pressure." She said and gestured to Naruto's ever staring eyes.

"Take him off of the pain medication?" Sasuke repeated slowly. "Are you deaf? Can't you hear his screams? Think of what they'll sound like when… if…" his eyes blazed.

"I thought of that," Tsunade said. "And we're going to have to disregard it. There's nothing we can do." She sat down heavily in a chair, watching Iruka as the man stared alternatively between Naruto and his own hands. "If he's not better by tomorrow morning, and he won't be, then we're going through with it." She narrowed her eyes at Sasuke's defiant expression. "And that is my decision as _Hokage_, go against my word and I'll have you thrown in jail."

"You're going to kill him." Sasuke said and reached out for Naruto's hand, "He's going to die and it's going to be your fault." He said and gave her a look that suddenly made her remember that he, Naruto, and even Sakura were all only teenagers. Nothing more than children.

Tsunade turned towards the door, "No. It's your fault, too, and his," she gestured to Kakashi, "and his." She nodded towards Iruka. "The blame belongs to all of us."

**

Sakura stared across the table at her mother, who was chatting animatedly with her husband about an eccentric young man she'd bumped into at the market that day. Sakura brushed strands of her hair behind her ear and pushed her food around on her plate. She wasn't quite sure how she was supposed to feel. Naruto… precious Naruto… had been sick for a month, and no one had noticed. It wasn't even that he was simply sick, he was dying, and no one had noticed.

"Sakura, dear, is something wrong?" Her mother asked with a sweet smile. "You're not eating anything. And I even made your favorite meal."

Sakura scooped a bite of salad into her mouth and chewed dutifully under her mother's gaze. "No, I'm fine." She said and her voice cracked. "I'm fine." She repeated to herself. _But Naruto's not, _her mind whispered.

**

Kakashi kept his face carefully blank under the taught mask that covered his face. He wondered through the hospital, checking in on friends and comrades, helping nurses in any way he could, preparing a Clean Room for Naruto. He had failed as an instructor. A Sensei was supposed to be like… like a parent; loving and proud, confident, stern, and watchful. Kakashi was not loving towards Naruto; at least, he'd never shown it. He'd never shown the boy he was proud of him, or confident in him, he'd certainly never been stern with the blonde. But he'd always thought he'd been watchful. Always keeping tabs on his pupil, always keeping the boy from trouble. But apparently… apparently he hadn't done a good enough job.

"Hey, Kakashi, it's nice to see you again. Wasn't expecting a visit from you," Kakashi looked up into the face of one of his old friends; their face swollen and bandaged. "How've you been?"

**

Tsunade squinted down that the stack of papers she held in her lap, leaning back in the uncomfortable hospital chair awkwardly. She wasn't sure why she'd even bothered to have Shizune bring over her paperwork. She couldn't possibly focus on anything besides Naruto. Her eyes flickered up to watch the boy who was lying still for the first time in countless hours. God, she was so worried. Naruto had managed to cheat death so many times… Tsunade knew too well that it couldn't last forever.

She stood slowly and wondered when she'd started to feel so old. She slid into the seat Sasuke usually occupied and sighed heavily. She brushed a loose strand of hair out of her eyes and then placed her hand on Naruto's forehead, taking note of the damp heat his whole face seemed covered in. She moved her hand to grip his limp fingers and then lowered her head to rest on his forearm.

**

Everyone ended up in front of Naruto's hospital room the next morning. All of them looking pale, sleep deprived, and worried. Sasuke kept his expression sour and shot Sakura harsh glares every few minutes. Sakura shied away from the reassuring arms of Shizune and did her best not to meet the Uchiha's eyes. Kakashi kept his hands shoved deep in his pockets, his eyes far away and wild. Iruka alternated between staring at people helplessly, and Tsunade simply stood stoically.

"Is the isolation room ready?" She asked Kakashi flatly and he nodded. "Well then," she moved towards the door, "I guess this is the part you all gather around his bedside and say your goodbyes." She pushed open the hospital door carefully. "I don't expect him to come out alive."


End file.
